


Breaking All The Rules

by MedieavalBeabe



Category: Thor/The Duchess
Genre: AU Thor - Freeform, Friends to Lovers, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-02-27 19:33:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2703920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedieavalBeabe/pseuds/MedieavalBeabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Loki discovers his Frost Giant heritage, there's one person he's extremely worried about telling...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rule One: Frost Giants Are Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, yet another Loki/Georgiana fic! I know you guys must be getting fed up of these two by now, sorry, but I had this idea a while back that perhaps if Loki had had someone like Georgiana in his life all along, the events of the Thor films would have been pretty different.
> 
> Anyway, so in this universe as few things are different: Althrop is once again a country alongside Asgard, as in my other Loki/Georgiana fanfics, Odin does NOT fall into the Odinsleep after telling Loki the truth about his heritage, and Loki is NOT responsible for the Frost Giants invading Asgard at the start. In fact, Loki is NOT evil at all in this. 
> 
> Ok, are we clear? Good! If something's not clear or explained, feel free to notify me in the comments. And, as usual, enjoy!

“You could have told me what I was from the beginning. Why didn’t you?”

 

“You are my son. My blood. I wanted only to protect you from the truth.”

 

“Because I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?”

 

“No!” Odin’s voice was thunderous and Loki fell quiet. As always he felt compelled to listen whenever his father raised his voice. The second he had shouted, however, Odin regretted it, as he always did when raising his voice to either of his children. Loki dropped his eyes to the ground, his mind still reeling. How could he have not realised before why he was so different to everyone else in Asgard? Whenever he said such a thing, to his father, his mother, his brother, even his brother’s friends, they always laughed it off and made out that he was being daft.

 

Yet it was the truth. And now he knew the reason.

 

Odin could sense the sting the realisation had delivered his youngest son and he knew that he had to approach this situation with patience and gentleness, just like Frigga would, were she here right now. “Loki,” he said, quietly, having the grace to lower his own eyes, or rather, eye, to the ground, “you are my son. Don’t think for a second that I took you from Jotunheim for use as some sort of weapon or pawn in a dastardly plot. I took you because you had been left there to die, and if I had let such a thing happen to a child, an innocent, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.”

 

“You adopted me out of guilt?” Loki asked, finally raising his eyes.

 

“I adopted you out of concern,” Odin corrected him, gently.

 

Loki glanced at his hands, which were no longer blue, but he could feel the colour still lingering there, like some disease that he couldn’t shake off. As if he were contaminated. “But...” He sighed and looked at Odin. “Look at me. I might **look** like an Asgardian...but I’m one of **them.** One of those...monsters that invaded our Realm.”

 

“No, Loki.” Odin’s voice was calm and this time he dared put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You may have been sired by Frost Giants, but you are not like them. You’ve always been different to them, Asgardian through and through, and you always will be.”

 

Loki said nothing. Truth be told, he could accept that, easily. His real worry was what **she** would think, how this would affect her. Sensing that his silence could be taken as defiance, he looked Odin in the eyes and slowly nodded, signalling that he could accept what his father was saying. Odin wasn’t usually an emotional man, but in that second he put his arms around his youngest son and hugged him. Loki stayed still for a second and then sighed, relaxing and half-heartedly muttered “I just ironed this tunic,” even as he managed to return the gesture for a second.

 

Odin chuckled, a deep-throated rumble and released him. His eyes were a mixture of happiness and regret as he regarded his son. “I’m...I am sorry I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t want you to have to find out this way.”

 

“It’s alright.” For one of the few times in his life, Loki was actually telling the truth. Because it was alright. He supposed that, had circumstances been different, he would have reacted differently; perhaps shouted more or even let the anger grow so deeply that he resented Odin for the rest of his life, even tried to hurt him. But as it was, he just felt like it answered a lot of questions, and if Odin and Frigga and Thor still cared about him as if he were truly their own flesh and blood, then it was something he could live with. Hel, it was even something he could use in the summer when the Asgard heat became unbearable, he thought with a wry smile.

 

But there was the question of her. If it was something she couldn’t live with, then how was he expected to go on?

 

XXX

 

_“Loki, don’t wander too far away now,” Frigga chided him, gently._

_“Yes, Mother,” Loki answered, thinking it was foolish for her to even suggest such a thing. After all, he had his book. At these social engagements that his parents dragged him and Thor along to, it was well known that the youngest Prince of Asgard could usually be found hunched in a corner over a book. Mind you, that was for the simple reason that Thor always found someone interesting to play with and he never did. The people Thor usually found never wanted him to join in; they would always make some excuse to leave him out. If Thor ever bristled at this, Loki would convince him that it was alright, that he didn’t want to play anyway because he wanted to take the time to read, but it did hurt that the other children steered well clear of him._

_This time they were attending a garden party in the neighbouring town of Althrop, somewhere neither Thor nor Loki had ever been before. Loki had to admit, he was disappointed, since the place looked almost exactly like Asgard, and Thor had already found some young people their own age to toss a ball around with. Once again, he found himself excluded, so Loki wandered a little away from the marquee and down the stone steps to find somewhere quiet to loiter._

_It was then that he heard the sound of laughter and shouting, but the cruel kind of laughter rather than the friendly, and a desperate kind of pleading coming from nearby._

_“Come on, guys, please, give me that back!”_

_Curiously, Loki wandered across and peered around the corner of the garden wall. Two boys a little older than him, dressed in Althrop clothing, were teasing a young girl about his own age, also dressed in Althrop garb. One of the boys was holding a large book above her head and they were both laughing as she jumped, reaching for it, but unable to get it._

_“Catch!” the boy sneered, tossing the book over her head to his companion, who caught it deftly and held it out of reach again._

_The girl turned, her eyes desperate and filled with tears, and Loki instantly felt for her. Poor thing. Who did these boys think they were picking on someone for the fun of it? Something about the whole situation made him want to take action, so he quietly tucked his own book into the back of his trousers and then hefted himself onto the wall. As the girl took a step towards the other boy, pleading again with him to give her book back, Loki crouched, cat-like, for a moment and then sprang. He collided with the other boy, knocking him off his feet and they both landed on the gravel, the book the other boy had been holding skidding from his hands._

_“Hey!” his companion exclaimed, taking a step forwards._

_Loki sprang up, snatched up the book before anyone else could and then, coolly and calmly, handed it to the girl, who was staring at him in wide-eyed wonder._

_“Here,” he said, gently._

_“What’s your problem?” grunted the one he had landed on, pushing himself upright._

_Before Loki could respond, the girl grabbed his hand and began to run away from them, pulling him along with her. Loki didn’t object. After all, the boys looked like they could beat him to a pulp just by poking him. So he let the girl, who clearly knew where she was going, drag him until they were far enough away from the bullies, who thankfully hadn’t followed him, not to worry them again._

_“That was really brave,” the girl said, turning to him in awe. “Thank you.”_

_Loki shrugged, feeling himself flushing although he couldn’t explain why. “It’s not a problem. Did you know those two?”_

_“Sort of,” she replied, falling into step beside him. “My Father knows theirs. I don’t really talk to them much, though. They’re bullies.”_

_“So I noticed,” Loki replied. “What is that book, anyway? A story?”_

_She shook her head, looking embarrassed. “No, it’s my sketchbook. I, um, I draw...design...dresses..and stuff.”_

_Loki was surprised but he nodded. “That’s cool,” he said._

_“You think so?”_

_“Yes. I do.” It occurred to him suddenly that they were still holding hands, although neither of them made any move to drop their interlocked fingers. “Do...do you live here?”_

_“Yes, my Father’s Earl Spencer,” she replied._

_“Oh! My Father knows yours!” Loki answered in surprise. “He’s Odin Allfather.”_

_“You mean **you’re** a Prince of Asgard?” the girl gasped, immediately dropping a curtsey. “Oh your Highness!”_

_“Don’t do that,” Loki said, although he smiled as he said it. “I hate it when people start bowing and curtseying to me.”_

_The girl giggled and then looked at him like she was pondering something before she finally blurted “Do you want to be my best friend?”_

_“Yes,” Loki answered, eagerly, hardly daring to believe this was happening. “I do.”_

_She giggled again and finally let go of his hand. Realising he didn’t even know her name yet, though, Loki held it out to her again to shake. “I’m Loki.”_

_“I’m Georgiana,” she smiled, returning the handshake._

XXX

 

Georgiana was reading quietly by the window, although her mind wasn’t really on her book, when she heard the horse hooves approaching, galloping up the gravel towards the house. She turned her head and then smiled, jumping to her feet and snapping her book shut as she raced downstairs to the front door. A few of the servants gave her an odd look as she ran but she couldn’t care in the slightest as she yanked open the door. She hadn’t seen her best friend in two weeks, having been taken ill the day of Thor’s coronation, although she had been invited to it, and as always she was more than happy to see him.

 

Loki swung himself down from the saddle as she came running up to him in a flurry of skirts with a delighted yelp of “Loki!” He allowed himself a moment of happiness as she hugged him and returned it with as much enthusiasm as she gave. It had been twelve years since their first meeting and their friendship had never waned once, even though they had sometimes argued in the way that best friends sometimes do, but they had always made up again afterwards. Never had anyone in the whole of the Nine Realms seen such a strong (and unlikely seeming) friendship between two young people. They would spend their childhood days playing and reading together, and making up fantastical adventures on rainy days, sometimes with various household items playing a part, and as they grew older they played more adult games like chess and cards and talked together, confiding everything in each other. Loki knew all of Georgiana’s favourites, her favourite foods, her favourite books, which young lords and ladies she liked and didn’t, and she knew all of his too. Sometimes they still read books together, reading out loud to one another or else lying on their stomachs in the middle of the vast library floor in the Palace, sharing a book and asking the other if they were done with reading that page yet so it could be turned over. At any social gathering they were both invited to, they spent every second of it together, and if one of them were invited to something without the other, they would invite the other along as a Plus-One to keep them from dying of boredom. After all, such things were never as much fun without a best friend nearby, and whenever they were together, everything, even just talking, felt like the most wonderful thing in the world.

 

Loki had been on the verge of fourteen when he had realised he was in love with her.

 

“I’ve missed you!” Georgiana laughed, finally releasing him and he grinned at her. “Now come on, you’ve got to tell me absolutely everything I missed at Thor’s coronation! I can’t believe I got sick on that day of all days! And you had to suffer through it all without me! How did you even survive?”

 

Loki laughed. He couldn’t help it. He had only been here a few seconds and she was already making him feel better about what he had to tell her. He suspected that if he hadn’t met Georgiana, if she hadn’t befriended him, his life would have been pretty lonely. “Let me get a word in edgeways, Georgiana, and I can tell you!”

 

Grinning, she grabbed his hand and tugged him into the house. Reminded of their first meeting, Loki once again allowed himself to be dragged along behind her. Sometimes when she did this, they didn’t let go of one another’s hands, until one or the other needed it for something.

 

“Let me guess,” Georgiana said, as they reached the grounds and began to walk together. “Thor wielded his hammer and looked happy as a dragon that’s just found its gold, am I right?”

 

“He did,” Loki admitted. “Until it all went wrong.”

 

Georgiana frowned. “Why; what happened?”

 

“Frost Giants invaded. No one got hurt,” he added as Georgiana threw up her other hand to her mouth in shock, “but then, of course, well, Thor got it into his head to go to Jotunheim and have it out with the Frost Giants.”

 

Georgiana gasped. “Oh, Norns, were you alright?”

 

“Of course; do I look severed in two?” Loki asked. “Father,” the word thankfully still felt so natural in his mouth, “came and rescued us in the nick of time, but, well, he banished Thor for his thoughtlessness.”

 

Georgiana stared at him. “Banished him? To where?”

 

“Midgard.”

 

“Oh, poor Thor!”

 

Loki took a deep breath. “There’s more.”

 

Sensing that something deeper was troubling her best friend, Georgiana stopped, squeezing his fingers without even noticing she was doing so. “What is it?”

 

“When...” Loki prepared himself for what he was about to say next. “When we were in Jotunheim, one of the Frost Giants grabbed me...and I noticed something...when he...it...made contact with my skin...”

 

He dropped her hand and, closing his eyes, willed the blue Jotun form to reveal itself to her. Georgiana stared at him, startled that her best friend, someone she had known for so long, could be a Frost Giant. And yet...yet she found herself entranced by his Jotun form...and as she reminded herself, he was still her best friend, still the same intelligent, good man she had known since they were children, so something like this couldn’t make a difference to how she felt about him.

 

Her heart began to beat faster as she stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tenderly. Loki opened his eyes in surprise and glanced at her, or what he could see of her, her hair masked most of her face in this position.

 

“Georgiana,” he murmured in bewilderment, too bewildered to even return her hug, “I’m pretty sure this is the part where you’re meant to run away.”

 

Georgiana shook her head and tightened her grip. “You’re a Frost Giant, Loki, but you’re still my best friend. Still.”

 

Loki hugged her back at once, unable to believe it. “But...Georgiana...we’re monsters.”

 

 **“You’re** not!” she insisted, pulling back to look him straight in the eyes. “You don’t really think I’d stop being your friend after all we’ve been though together, do you, Loki? They might be savage monsters, but **you’re** not! You’re good and intelligent and you make me laugh and I’ll still lo-” Her eyes widened as she cut herself off and dropped her hands, stepping out of his embrace, awkwardly.

 

“What?” Loki grabbed her hand. “What were you about to say?”

 

Georgiana took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. They were bright red now, but not terrifying like Frost Giant eyes; they were warm, like two garnets on fire, and she felt herself falling deeper. “I’ll still...love you, Loki. I’ve been in love with you for years.”

 

Loki stared at her for a second, torn between saying something, anything, in response and kissing her. In the end he went with the latter, flinging his arms about her, pulling her into a tight embrace and pressing his lips to hers. Georgiana made a soft squeak of surprise and then relaxed into his kiss, returning it as she clung to him with the fierce passion they both felt, hearts racing in unison. His lips were cool against hers but not at all unappealing, and she found herself loving every second of his kiss.

 

“Georgiana, I’ve loved you for years too,” Loki confessed the second they parted. “I always thought you wanted to be just friends.”

 

“Only because I didn’t think you felt the same way,” Georgiana breathed, opening her eyes in time to see him shift back into his Aesir form.

 

Loki smiled at her, his eyes now green and bright. “How can I not?”

 

So saying, he kissed her again, with no regard for the fact that such public displays of affection were quite unheard of in Althrop and Georgiana smiled against his lips, her heart racing with relief and love.

 

“Georgiana?”

 

They both sprang apart and Georgiana whipped her head in the direction of the house with a groan. She had no desire to go running to answer her father’s call just yet. “Come on,” she muttered, grabbing his hand again and dragging him through the grounds. Loki didn’t protest or object, merely slipped his fingers through hers and ran with her until they reached a certain familiar patch of the grounds away from prying eyes and stopped to catch their breath.

 

Georgiana suddenly laughed. “Hey! This is where we first met, remember?”

 

Loki chuckled. “How could I forget?” And then, realising it was a perfect place for doing so, he decided to throw caution to the wind. Turning to face her, her took her other hand and pulled her a step closer to him. Georgiana looked up at him, beaming and then, realising he wanted to say something important to her, fixed her face into a serious expression.

 

“Georgiana,” Loki said, softly, bringing one hand up to cup her face, “will you marry me? Will you be my wife?”

 

Georgiana couldn’t speak for a second. Loki proposing to her? She had never imagined it even in her wildest dreams, never dared get her hopes up that he might love her so much. Then, sensing she was keeping him waiting, she nodded, tears of happiness welling in her eyes. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice catching slightly on a sob. “Yes, I will, Loki.”

 

Loki hugged her tightly, and then, noting that she was crying, kissed her gently. “Let me kiss away your tears,” he murmured.

 

Georgiana laughed, cupping his face in her hands. “They’re happy tears, my love.” Taking a step back from him, she took a deep breath to prevent anymore tears from falling. “Can we...do we have to tell them right away? Can’t we just keep it to ourselves for a bit?”

 

Loki smiled at her. “There’s no law saying we have to tell them right away.”

 

“It’s just...I’d like us to just be Loki and Georgiana in love without all their fussing and getting involved, just for a while,” Georgiana explained.

 

Loki nodded. “We can tell them in our own time. There’s no rush.”

 

She smiled. “I love you, Loki.”

 

“I love you too, Georgiana,” Loki whispered back, adding just before he captured her lips in a kiss that would put the sun to shame, “my wife-to-be.”


	2. Rule Two: You Can't Marry Without Permission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Loki and Georgiana seek their parents' consent to wed, they don't quite get the answers they're hoping for...

Stolen kisses, like stolen apples, always taste sweeter; at least that was both Loki and Georgiana’s new creed from now on. Something about keeping their love secret for the time being just felt right; after all they did live in an age where public displays of affection were frowned upon and not everyone was lucky to find a love like theirs. Plus they both knew that they had to seek their parents’ permission to marry, which didn’t seem right, but neither of them were worried about them saying “Yes.” After all, Georgiana was of good family stock as well as being well liked by both Odin and Frigga, and as for her parents, well, how could they say no to a proposal from a Prince?

 

For now, though, both were just content with their passionate kissing in the midst of the Palace’s vast library. It was supposed to be a day of celebration in Asgard, Summer Solstice, but not many people felt like celebrating without Thor around, so Asgard was without its usual cheer and Loki had been only too glad to slip away to the privacy of the library with his beloved. Of course, it didn’t look strange to anyone that they should go together, being best friends and all, so no one batted an eyelid as they slipped into the shadows and made their way to the library.

 

Loki loved this room for two reasons; the first being that it was filled with books and the second being that it was a good place to come and think because he was the only person in the entire Palace who actually used it, so it was private. A perfect place for a stolen kiss.

 

“We really should tell them soon,” Georgiana murmured, regretfully. “Otherwise...otherwise it’ll never happen.”

 

Loki nodded. He knew she was right. Yes it was fun keeping it to themselves, but without their parents’ permission he could never make good his proposal. “Tomorrow,” he suggested. “When all the...festivities die down.”

 

Georgiana nodded and brought her face close to his, brushing their noses together softly. “I can’t wait to be your wife, Loki.”

 

He smiled, brushing the tip of her nose with a gentle kiss. “I can’t wait to be your husband, Georgiana.”

 

XXX

 

Loki hesitated before he knocked on the door. Why the Hel he was so nervous he had no idea, after all, it was only Odin he was about to talk to. Still, he reflected, most people got nervous when asking their parents for something, even Thor did from time to time. He found himself wondering if Georgiana was nervous too, back in Althrop.

 

“Come,” Odin commanded, and Loki roused himself. Pushing the door open, on the verge of timidness, he looked into the room. Thankfully Odin was alone, and he turned as the door opened, his serious expression softening. “Loki,” he said in surprise.

 

Loki took a deep breath and stepped into the room. “Father...”

 

He didn’t know where to begin, so he simply stood to attention, ducked his head and clasped his hands behind his back, waiting for his father to prompt him.

 

“Is this about your brother?” Odin asked.

 

Loki looked up at him and his surprise must have shown on his face because his father went on “I had Lady Sif and the Warriors Three in here just now begging for him to be allowed back to Asgard.”

 

For a second, Loki forgot the real reason he had come. “And what did you tell them?”

 

“The truth, as I tell it to you now. I’m not going to change my mind. If Thor wants to come back to Asgard, he’s going to have to prove himself a worthy enough heir.”

 

Loki nodded, his courage returning. “Well, actually, I came to talk to you about something else.”

 

“Oh?” Odin sat down on his throne and gestured for his son to take a seat. Loki shook his head, preferring to stand for such a serious matter. Odin regarded him carefully for a moment before prompting, gently, “Well, say what you have to say.”

 

Loki breathed out and then the words came out more easily than he had been expecting them to. “It’s...Georgiana.” Odin raised one eyebrow but said nothing. “I’ve...asked her to marry me. And she’s accepted. I know it’s not our custom to do that without asking permission first but-”

 

“But you just couldn’t help yourself,” Odin cut in, bluntly. “Is that what you’re telling me?”

 

Loki blinked at him, startled by his sharpness. “I...well, I just thought...”

 

“You thought you’d get ahead of yourself,” Odin went on, his tone dry but his eyes dark, and Loki wondered why he was so cross about this. “You assumed that both Earl Spencer and I would give our consent anyway, so why wait?”

 

Trying to stave off an argument, Loki did his best to remain calm as he took a deep breath. “No, I must confess that I wasn’t thinking about that **at all** when I proposed to her. All I was thinking was that-”

 

“Loki, you’ve defied a custom that has been at the heart of this Realm for countless centuries,” Odin stated, rising to his feet. “You had no right to do that, and Georgiana had no right to accept your proposal without permission from her parents.”

 

“I know,” Loki replied, still struggling to maintain hold of his temper, “but I’m asking you now and she’s going to talk to them-”

 

“And that will make it alright, will it?” Odin hadn’t, in all honesty, meant to snap. It was the pressure of the day getting to him. People had been coming to him with problems all day, and then Sif and the Warriors Three coming to ask him to allow Thor back to Asgard and now this, plus the fact that putting off the Odinsleep was beginning to take its toll on him; it was all getting too much today. But now he was venting all that pent up irritation towards his youngest son. “That will excuse what you two have done, defying our traditions and dishonouring-?!”

 

“Why does it matter?” Loki found himself shouting back in frustration. “Why does it have to be that I need permission from **anyone** to do something like this, or for that matter, why does she need permission to accept? We’re not children anymore! We should be allowed to decide for ourselves whether someone’s right for us!”

 

“Loki!” Odin all but growled it and his eyes flashed with a warning that Loki knew meant he had gone too far in his shouting. He tried to relax, tried to quash down any further desire to yell and managed to get a forced “Forgive me, I spoke out of turn, Allfather,” out, though it was clear that the damage had been done.

 

“Why did the Norns torment me with two rebellious sons?” Odin asked, stiffly. “I always assumed you were the one with the good head on your shoulders.”

 

Loki glanced up sharply at him. “Is that a “No?”

 

Odin frowned at him. “What?”

 

“Is that a “No, I don’t have your permission?” Loki watched his father, carefully, surveying his answer. “Or do I have it? May I marry Georgiana?”

 

Odin opened his mouth to speak and then was struck by a sudden familiar feeling. Oh Norns, why now? Why this second?

 

“No.”

 

Loki felt as if Mjölnir had just struck him in the stomach, ripping all the breath in his lungs from him and he actually took a step backwards, feeling the blow of Odin’s denial. “No,” he whispered, unable to believe that Odin had actually refused his consent.

 

“Loki...” Odin took a few steps forwards and then, alarmingly, toppled forwards and lay still. Loki felt his heart lurch and he stumbled into the door. Pulling it open, he yelled for the guards and then threw a frantic look back at his father. Then, the realization of what had just passed hit him once again.

 

He couldn’t marry Georgiana.

 

XXX

 

“Georgiana?”

 

Georgiana glanced up at her father. John Spencer was watching her, keenly, like a curious bird after an insect, observing. “Papa?” she asked, politely.

 

“You’ve hardly touched your dinner,” he pointed out. “What’s wrong?”

 

Georgiana glanced around the table at the apprehensive faces of her family; her father, her mother, her brother and her sister, all watching, waiting to find out what was on her mind.

 

“I...” She sighed and looked straight at her father. “I have something to ask you, Papa. May we speak in private?”

 

“But of course. Now?”

 

“Yes, please.”

 

They left the table and Georgiana could feel the curious eyes of everyone else on her as she left the room.

 

“Now,” said her father the second they were alone together in his study. “What’s troubling you, Gee?”

 

Georgiana wrung her hands, unsure of how to begin. “It’s not so much troubling me as...I’m just nervous about it. It’s to do with a certain...proposal.”

 

John raised his eyebrows. “So you’ve heard, then?”

 

Georgiana frowned. “Heard what?”

 

“That William Cavendish asked permission to marry you?” Her father looked surprised. “You...hadn’t heard?”

 

“Papa!” Georgiana exclaimed, her breath catching in her throat. “What did you say?”

 

“I gave my consent wholeheartedly, of course. You could do to look a little more pleased.”

 

She stared at him, completely baffled. “William Cavendish? You mean the boy who used to bully me when we were younger? **That** William Cavendish?”

 

“Oh, Georgiana, he’s changed so much now.”

 

“I don’t care. You will have to un-give your consent because I won’t have anything to do with him.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I-!” Realising that she was on the verge of shouting, Georgiana calmed herself down and began again “Because I’ve already accepted...someone else’s proposal.”

 

John stared at her. “Georgiana,” he finally said, in shock. “You know you need permission for that!”

 

“Well I’m asking for it now,” she replied, levelly.

 

“Not granted.”

 

Georgiana looked up, sharply. Her father’s usually passive expression was stony. “Papa-!”

 

“You don’t just accept someone else’s hot-headed proposal when I’ve already decided-!”

 

 **“You’ve** decided?” Georgiana cried. **“For** me? As if I’m still a **child?”**

 

“You had no right to-!” John paused. “Wait. Who proposed to you?”

 

Georgiana felt her breath catch in her throat again. “Loki.”

 

“Loki?”

 

“He loves me, Papa.”

 

John barely heard her as he shook his head. “He had no right to propose to you without asking me for permission to do so first!”

 

“But-!”

 

“No!” John snapped, shocking her into silence. “Georgiana, this conversation is over. You’ll accept Cavendish’s proposal-”

 

“No!”

 

 **“Or** never set foot in this house again!”

 

Georgiana stared at him in shock. John swept past her, not meeting her eyes, and stormed from the room. Once he was gone, she felt her knees buckle and as she hit the floor, she began to sob.

 

XXX

 

Loki looked around, nervously. In all he had ever read of Midgard he had never once come across a paragraph stating that the place could get this crowded. If he wasn’t careful, with all these jostling bodies, his illusion would be shattered before it could even serve its purpose.

 

He cast his eyes around. Where was Thor amid all this? Surely there would be no mistaking him, even at this time of night? Never before had he wanted his brother so badly, needed his guidance. True, Thor could be hot-headed and occasionally thoughtless regarding such heated actions, often acting without thinking first, but he had always been someone Loki could lean on, and at a time like this, he needed it.

 

He had left Odin in the Odinsleep to be tended by Frigga in their room. He hadn’t mentioned to her what had passed between them; after all, there was nothing she could do about it, even if she wanted to. He sighed to himself. It hurt. It physically hurt, like someone wrenching his heart out of his chest, knowing that he was forbidden from being with his Georgiana.

 

Suddenly he spotted Thor a short distance away, dressed in Midgardian clothing and supporting another man on his shoulder. Praying that it was his brother and not some human who just happened to look like him, Loki ran forwards. “Thor!”

 

Thor swivelled in surprise and his eyes widened in delight. “Loki? What are you doing here?”

 

“I’m not here,” Loki explained, skidding to a halt in front of him and holding out his arms to keep his brother from hugging, and shattering, the image of him. “I’m just an illusion. Listen, I need to-” He broke off as the man on Thor’s shoulder groaned and raised his head. Loki frowned at him. “Is he alright?”

 

“He made his ancestors proud,” Thor replied, slapping a hand across his friend’s back. “Had a little too much ale, is all.”

 

“Oh.” Loki shook his head. “Look, this is serious. Can you...put him down or something?”

 

Thor dragged his friend over to a nearby bench and dropped him onto it. His friend swayed and mumbled something but managed to more or less stay upright where he sat as Thor plopped down next to him. Loki sat down beside his brother. “It is good to see you,” Thor grinned. “Now what’s up?”

 

Loki sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m in love with Georgiana.”

 

“I know, but what’s up?”

 

Loki glanced at him. “You know? How do you know?”

 

“Because you’re my brother. It’s obvious.” Thor raised his eyebrows in sympathy. “But...she wants to be just friends.”

 

“No, she wants to marry me and bear my children.”

 

“Well, there’s no need for sarcasm.”

 

“No, Thor, I’m serious.” Loki looked him in the eyes. “She loves me back.”

 

“Well that’s wonderful!” Thor exclaimed.

 

“No, it isn’t. I proposed to her and she accepted...but Father refused his consent.”

 

Thor frowned. “Well, why would he do that?”

 

“I don’t know,” Loki admitted. “He’s fallen into the Odinsleep now so I can’t ask him until he wakes up.” He put his head in his hands. “Thor, what am I going to do? I love her so much.”

 

Thor put his hand up, looking like he wanted to pat his brother on the shoulder, and then, realising he couldn’t, dropped it again. “And she truly loves you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well, you know what you’ve both got to do then.”

 

Loki turned to him. “What? Tell me what.”

 

“Run away together.”

 

Loki blinked at him. “Thor...that’s madness.”

 

“Is it?”

 

“Yes! Just like it was madness invading Jotunheim!”

 

“Are you ever going to let that go?”

 

“Probably not, no, but that’s beside the point.”

 

“Loki,” Thor said, seriously, sitting forwards. “You and Georgiana are perfect together. Nothing should stand in the way of you two wanting to be together. Nothing. And no one.”

 

Loki thought about it a moment. “Well, when you put it like that...what you’re saying makes sense.” He sighed. “But...where would we go?”

 

“Here. Midgard. People are free here; they’re not all governed by the laws and traditions of their ancestors, I’m rapidly learning.”

 

“Heimdall might not open the Bifrost to us, though.”

 

Thor grinned at him. “Loki, when has that ever stopped **you** from using it?” Loki finally allowed himself to smile. “Look, if you and Georgiana truly love each other, then you can’t just suffocate without each other, wasting your lives wishing that it could have been different. If there was ever a time to start breaking the rules...it’s now.”

 

Loki nodded and got to his feet. “I never thought I’d find myself saying this, but you’re absolutely right.”

 

“Where are you going?” Thor called as he began to walk away from the bench.

 

Loki turned to him with a mischievous grin lighting up his features. “To find Georgiana, tell her I love her and take her away from that Helhole so we can be together, forever.”


	3. Rule Three: Leaving Asgard Without King's Permission Is Treason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Georgiana make their plans for a life together...

_It was Hallow Night, and Georgiana felt a quiver of fear snake into her stomach as she glanced uneasily around the town. It was all lit up and should have looked warm and friendly, but she knew that it was on nights like this that people tended to be especially scary, and she didn’t just mean the popping out of the darkness and shouting “Boo!” type of scary. She pressed closer to Loki as they moved through the streets with their buckets in their hands. Both were dressed as their favourite characters from a fairytale they both loved, a prince and princess respectfully,_

_“You know I think we should split up,” Thor, ever the leader, said, presently as they turned down an unfamiliar street._

_“Why?” Loki couldn’t help feeling irritated at the suggestion._

_“I think it’d be more fun that way,” Thor shrugged. He was dressed in a miniature version of Asgard armour, his chosen costume for this Hallow Night, but Loki couldn’t help thinking that he was having pretensions of grandeur. “What do you think, Volstagg?”_

_“Anything to make this night more fun,” Volstagg replied, turning this way and that as he looked around the street, his wolf costume turning with him. “I mean, look, half of them aren’t even trying.”_

_“Yeah, that house isn’t even lit up,” Fandral pointed out, nodding in the direction of the house on the corner which was in darkness. He was dressed as some kind of Night Sprite or other, all covered in fake ivy leaves and with a crown of holly on his head. Of all of them, Loki couldn’t help thinking that Fandral looked the most ridiculous._

_“That’s because one of their family died yesterday, idiot,” sighed Sif, who was dressed as a cat, all in black with pointed ears and a tail that looked so lifelike it was a wonder it didn’t twitch at that moment._

_“Oh.” Fandral looked like he wanted to kick himself. “Well, I’m still with Thor on the splitting up thing.”_

_“Go on, then,” sighed Sif, with a roll of her eyes, glancing at Loki and Georgiana. “That ok with you two?”_

_“Fine,” Loki agreed, warily._

_“Alright,” Georgiana added, slowly._

_“Alright, so I’m with you,” Sif began, turning to Thor, “and obviously Loki and Georgiana-”_

_“No, we always split up like that,” Thor protested. “Let’s change it up a bit, can’t we? For once? I’ll go with Georgiana.”_

_Loki blanched before he could stop himself. “What?”_

_“Fine,” Sif sighed, and then to Georgiana, “but don’t be afraid to punch him if he gets annoying.”_

_Georgiana laughed, nervously and then stepped up to stand by Thor. Loki felt a quivering of jealousy in his stomach that he tried not to show on his face as Sif added “Come on, Fan, you’re with me; Volstagg can go with Loki.”_

_“Ok,” Volstagg shrugged, and Loki assuaged a tight smile as he nodded. The three pairs split their separate ways; Loki and Volstagg heading down a winding street to the left, Sif and Fandral turning into a wide alleyway on their right and Thor and Georgiana carrying on straight ahead. Georgiana threw a glance over her shoulder as they went, watching Loki as he was swallowed up by the night, and felt a desperate longing to be back by his side. She always felt safer with Loki around. Still, she reflected, it wasn’t like Thor was about to let anything happen to her, right? After all, at the age of seventeen, three years older than Loki, he was surely more mature and sensible than that?_

_“Let’s try down that way,” Thor suggested, presently._

_Georgiana glanced down the way he was pointing and swallowed hard. That road led down to the rougher part of town, where the taverns were. She had no desire to mix with a load of drunks. On the other hand, though, she reflected, people probably didn’t drink so much when it was Hallow Night, and she was with Thor, after all, so why was she worried._

_“Alright,” she replied, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. At any rate, Thor didn’t pick up on her fear as he steered them down in the direction of the Square, in the centre of which was a fountain, frozen at this time of year, and surrounded by taverns all around. The square was silent for once, so she relaxed a little, until Thor piped up “Did you ever hear the story about the Pumpkin Zombie, Georgiana?”_

_Georgiana shuddered. “Yes, Thor. Please don’t tell it to me again. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards.”_

_“Well,” Thor went on, barely registering what she was saying, “legend has it that it was this very fountain here that he drowned in, and that it’s from here that he rises on Hallow Night each year, looking for a head he can take in place of his pumpkin.”_

_Georgiana leaned over the side of the fountain, meeting her own reflection in the smooth ice. “You couldn’t drown in that fountain, Thor; there’s barely enough water to even paddle in.”_

_Thor didn’t answer, and when she jerked her head up again to see why, she felt a chill run down her spine, and not from the ice. Thor was nowhere to be seen._

_“Thor?” she stammered, looking around the Square. He didn’t respond and she swallowed again, whipping around left and right. “Thor? Thor, please, this isn’t funny!”_

_With a low growl, an enormous carved pumpkin sprang up at her from behind the fountain. Automatically, Georgiana screamed, threw down her bucket and began to run for her life, pelting through the twisted streets and soon finding herself lost and terrified in the middle of nowhere. Noises seemed to be coming from all around and she had no way of telling which way would bring her safely back to the Palace again. Terror began to take over and she felt tears of frustration and fear spring into her eyes. She tried to tell herself she was just being silly, that nothing could hurt her, but she had never been out in the town part of Asgard this late at night before, and she had no idea where she was._

_Then she heard a voice close by._

_“Well, I don’t care what Fandral says, I still say that red bricklebites are the best sweets out there and nothing will make me change my mind.”_

_In relief, Georgiana bolted onwards and turned the corner in time to hear Loki say “That’s what you said about honey-glazed dates last week.”_

_“Well-” Volstagg was cut off as Georgiana came hurrying towards them. Loki dropped his bucket in surprise and caught hold of her before she could run into them._

_“Georgiana, what’s wrong?” he asked, sensing immediately that she was far from alright._

_Georgiana was trembling so much she could barely speak. “I...I just...” She settle on “I got lost...” before the tears came thick and fast._

_Loki quickly wrapped her in a hug as she clung to him. Feeling they needed a moment alone, Volstagg moved a little away from them and called “Thor? Hey, Thor, where’d you get to?”_

_Georgiana felt her sobs subside slowly as Loki soothed her, stroking her hair and murmuring comforting nothings to her, softly. Finally she pulled herself together and Volstagg felt he could finally ask “What happened to Thor?”_

_“I don’t know,” Georgiana admitted, still in Loki’s arms. “I lost him in the Square.”_

_“The Square?” Loki’s eyes widened. “What were you doing there?”_

_“Thor suggested it. I thought it’d be alright.”_

_“Hey!” Fandral suddenly bobbed up out of nowhere with Sif right behind him. He held up a full bucket of sweet goodies. “We hit the jackpot!”_

_Sif looked at Georgiana in concern. “Hey, are you alright?”_

_Georgiana nodded. “I just got lost...and a bit scared.”_

_That was when the “Pumpkin Zombie” finally showed up. “Oi, someone get me out of here!” Thor demanded._

_Everyone jumped and moved back a few steps...and then realised who it was under the pumpkin head. “Hold on,” said Fandral, grabbing the pumpkin. “Stay still!”_

_“Thor, did you put that on just to scare me?” Georgiana asked, incredulously._

_“I didn’t think it would work!” Thor retorted as his head finally came free from the hollowed-out pumpkin with a gloopy slick. He brushed himself down with an absent minded mutter of “I thought you were tougher than that.”_

_Bristling, Loki stepped up to him. “What did you just say?”_

_Thor blinked at his brother in surprise, but before he could say anything, though, Georgiana snapped “Well, it **wasn’t** funny!”_

_“Oh, come on, it’s Hallow Night,” Thor protested as the others looked at him, reproachfully. “You’re supposed to scare your friends.”_

_“You’re an idiot!” Loki snapped._

_“Oh, like you’ve never scared anyone on Hallow Night before!” Thor snapped back._

_“I know my limits!” Loki retorted. “Can’t you see how upset she is?”_

_“What’s going on here?”_

_The six friends turned to see Frigga making her way up to them. Thor immediately went pink but Fandral saved him by holding up the pumpkin and saying brightly “Just telling spooky stories, Your Majesty, that’s all.”_

_Frigga looked at her youngest son, knowing that he always told her the truth, even if he lied occasionally to others. Loki decided quickly that he didn’t want Thor mad at him forever, so he grudgingly nodded and took Georgiana’s hand. “Come on, let’s go and get your bucket,” he muttered, pulling her away from Thor._

_Georgiana couldn’t help feeling a little silly later for having let Thor scare her like that, but she was grateful to Loki for not making her feel like a fool for it. After she had retrieved her bucket and the spilled sweetmeats from the Square, they made their way back to the group and followed Frigga and the others back to the Palace, hand in hand._

_The next morning, Loki realised he was in love._

XXX

 

Loki tugged on his horse’s reins in surprise as he rode through Althrop, pulling up just outside the library where a familiar looking mare was tied up to a nearby post. He quickly dismounted and tied up his own horse before hurrying up the stone steps. It was a mark of how well he knew Georgiana that he knew she would be in the Romantic Fiction section.

 

Leaning against the ladder, Georgiana bit her lip as she tried not to start crying again. Being surrounded by all these love stories was far from helpful, as she had initially thought it would be, after all, so many of them had happy endings. But they only served to remind her just how wretched she was feeling at that moment, forbidden from being with the one man she would love until the end of her life. It felt like too many of those stories that she knew would end in tragedy before she even got to the end.

 

“Georgiana?” She gasped, softly, as Loki touched her shoulder, and spun about. Loki looked at her, worriedly, seeing that she was close to tears. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

 

“My Father.” Georgiana slid into his arms and hugged him tightly. “He won’t give his permission for us to get married. He’s already agreed to someone else, and you know how stubborn he can be about things like this.”

 

Loki frowned. “Who has he said yes to?”

 

“William Cavendish.”

 

Loki immediately tightened his hold on her. “He’s proposed?”

 

“Apparently.” Georgiana looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Loki, I can’t not marry you. It’ll kill me.”

 

Loki quickly ran his hands through her hair, soothing her. “It won’t come to that,” he promised.

 

“Did Odin...say yes?”

 

Her face was so beautifully expectant that Loki couldn’t bring himself to answer her verbally. Instead he shook his head, sadly. “He fell into the Odinsleep seconds after, so I can’t even ask him why he objects, or get him to change his mind.”

 

“What are we going to do?” Georgiana whispered, gripping the front of his tunic.

 

“Well...Thor did have one idea,” Loki began.

 

“Thor?” Georgiana couldn’t help laughing. “After the last mad idea he had, you’re going to listen to _him?”_

 

Loki couldn’t help grinning when she said that. “Well for once he’s actually making sense. Must be all that Midgardian air.”

 

This brought a smile to her face too. “Go on, then,” she prompted, tightening her grip on him.

 

“He thinks we should run away. Together. To Midgard.”

 

Georgiana took a deep breath, all prepared to say that it was the maddest idea she had ever heard...but then she stopped...and thought about it. The pair of them...together...in a place where no one else could touch them...or tell them what to do...and they could be together. Always.

 

“That...that actually does make sense,” she stammered. “But...how do we get Heimdall to open the Bifrost to us?”

 

Loki smiled. “Leave that to me. I think I can use the old charm on him one last time.”

 

Georgiana laughed, breathlessly. “So...we’d be disobeying our parents, breaking the rules?”

 

“We’ve already done that by deciding to get married without asking their permission first,” Loki reminded her, mischievously. “I think we’re beyond worrying about everything else. So,” he added, pulling her closer to him, “will you run away with me, Georgiana?”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Yes, Loki, I will.”

 

XXX

 

The ride to the Bifrost sent chills of anticipation through both of them, and, as thy dismounted, a rebellious feeling of triumph rushed through Georgiana. Hang what her parents wanted. What about what **she** wanted? And what she wanted was Loki, always with her.

 

“Heimdall,” began Loki as they walked up to him.

 

“I know why you two are here,” Heimdall interrupted. “You plan to run away together to Midgard.”

 

“Heimdall, please,” Loki went on, “It’s the only way we can-”

 

“Be together?” Heimdall turned to them with a small smile. “You two have my sympathies, but I cannot let you do this. Doing so would be to defy my King.”

 

“Then I will take bear the brunt of your punishment when he wakes,” Loki insisted.

 

Georgiana stepped forwards. “Heimdall, have you ever been in love?”

 

Heimdall bowed his head, respectfully. “Sadly, Lady Georgiana, I have never had the pleasure.”

 

“Then you don’t know what it feels like knowing you can’t live without the one person you need by your side for the rest of your life,” Georgiana went on. “Being in love is the most wonderful thing imaginable, and the pain you feel when you get torn from your loved one is simply unbearable. Please, Heimdall, if you have any feeling at all in your heart at all, please, you know we have to do this.”

 

Loki looked at her in admiration. Heimdall closed his eyes briefly for a moment, then opened them and nodded. “Very well, Lady Georgiana, Prince Loki. On your own heads, be it.”

 

And with that he opened the Bifrost. Georgiana quickly gripped Loki’s arm as they stepped towards the portal. “Thank you,” Loki said, with sincere gratitude.

 

Heimdall bowed his head again. “My Lord, Lady,” was all he said, and as the Bifrost sucked them in, the two lovers clung to one another tightly and listened to the rush of air as they were dragged from the world they once knew and into another, and even when their feet touched solid ground, they still clung to one another for a brief moment longer before taking in their surroundings.


	4. Rule Four: People Don't Just Run Off To Get Married

Georgiana hardly dared open her eyes. She had a horrible feeling that if she did so then this would have all been some blissful dream and she would have to face the horrifying reality of not being with Loki and of marrying not just someone else but William Cavendish of all people. So she stayed clinging to him for as long as possible until she finally felt brave enough to ask “Did it work?”

 

Loki lifted his head from hers and smiled. “Yes, Georgiana. It worked. We’re here.” Then, glancing at her, he kissed the top of her head. “Georgiana, open your eyes, love.”

 

Reluctantly, she did so and looked around. Admittedly it wasn’t quite what she had been expecting, a dark alley that smelled questionable, but she supposed that Heimdall had done that to avoid any awkward questions that might come up had the Bifrost simply dropped them amid a crowd of people. Beyond it, however, she could see, and hear, the city and her heart began to race with excitement as she gripped Loki tighter, hardly daring to believe it.

 

“We’re here!” she breathed, her voice shaky with anticipation. “Midgard!”

 

With a grin, Loki hugged her tightly. “Was there ever any doubt?” he asked, mischievously.

 

“No, I just thought for a moment there that...” Georgiana took a deep breath. “That something might stop us. That Odin or my father might somehow stop Heimdall from letting us through.” Then, a wave of happiness washing over her, she smiled and released Loki, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Let’s see where we are!”

 

“Whoa!” Loki caught her hand as she took a step away from him. “Don’t you remember that book we found in the library when we were eleven?”

 

Georgiana blinked at him and then realised what he must be getting at. She looked down at her simple day dress, blue and white, and blushed, prettily. “I did forget,” she admitted. “I suppose we’ll both get some strange looks like this.”

 

With a grin, Loki pulled her close for a kiss, and when they parted, Georgiana was surprised to find that she was now dressed in what she supposed was a typical Midgard outfit – trousers of a strange dark blue colour, the material oddly stretchy but also a little stiff, a loose blouse, also blue, and a wine-coloured over-blouse, knitted from wool, and fastened with what she knew to be called a “zip” here on Midgard. Her boots remained, though, since they looked Misgardian in style anyway.

 

“How do you wear these things?” she laughed, tugging at the trousers.

 

Loki blinked at her. “Would you prefer a dress? I can change them-”

 

“No,” Georgiana smiled. “I think I can manage. It’s just a little odd, that’s all, but I’ll get used to it.”

 

Loki returned her smile and as he caught hold of her hand Georgiana drew in her breath seeing his own clothes transform into a dark coloured Midgardian suit that, well, for want of a better word, truly _suited_ him.

 

“Wow,” she couldn’t help murmuring, lacing her fingers through Loki’s.

 

Loki grinned at her. “Will I suffice, my lady?”

 

“I think you’ll do more than just suffice, Loki,” Georgiana teased, pressing closer to him. “You look very handsome.”

 

Loki reached out, his expression serious now, and tucked a stray strand of hair back out of her eyes. “And you look so beautiful, Georgiana. But you always look beautiful.”

 

Georgiana smiled, knowing that Loki wasn’t just flattering her. Men usually did that when they felt they had to try and charm a woman into their arms, but Loki had never needed to do that with her, so she knew that whenever he told her something like that, it had to be the truth, or at least what he believed to be the truth. Georgiana had never believed it herself, that she was beautiful, even when she looked in a mirror, and certainly not when anyone else told her so – her parents, after all, were genetically programmed to think such things about her and any other man she knew said it simply to try and win her heart. But when Loki said it, she believed him and she _felt_ beautiful.

 

“Shall we?” she persisted, suddenly feeling like an eager child again as she tugged his hand. Loki nodded and allowed her to pull him towards the alley opening. “Oh, Loki!” Georgiana breathed, looking all around her. The city was nothing like Asgard, which was tiny by comparison; the whole place was twisted and winding and bustling and awash with sound and colour. Enormous buildings brushed the sky and reflected in the nearby river, which also seemed alive as boats bobbed up and down on the surface, filled with people. It was like nothing either of them had ever seen before; even the pictures in the library books couldn’t do it justice. “It’s beautiful,” Georgiana whispered, sliding her arm through Loki’s and squeezing tightly as she pressed closer to him.

 

Loki nodded. “I wonder where it is, exactly,” he mused. Thor, he knew, had landed in some part of Midgard that the humans called “Am-eri-car” but was this city part of that place, or somewhere new entirely? He glanced around and then, leading Georgiana alongside him, stepped into the throng.

 

“Should we ask somebody?” Georgiana suggested, pressing closer still to avoid being knocked over as someone rushed past her with a gabbled “Sorry,” and disappeared behind them. “If they’d stay still long enough-”

 

Loki chuckled and then spotted a crowd that had stopped by the side of the road, ready to cross. Time for the silver-tongued charm again, he noted, readying himself as he stepped towards a man dressed similarly to him and carrying a strange box by a handle. “Excuse me,” he said, politely, and the man glanced at them. “This might sound strange but could you possibly tell us where this is?”

 

“Lost, are you?” The man smiled with equal politeness. “This here’s Westminster.” Then, seeing that these two tourists, he assumed they were tourists, looked blank, he added “You know, in London.” And then seeing they looked even more confused. “In England.”

 

Loki did vaguely recall reading about that place in one of their books, so he nodded and gave thanks to the now very confused local as the crowd began to cross the road and turned to Georgiana with a reassuring smile. “It’s alright, I do know a bit about this place.”

 

“You’re not the only one,” Georgiana replied, with a coquettish look. “If I remember rightly, it’s a country with a monarchy, like Asgard, and has two other countries joined onto it, making up a whole island, one of the smallest in the whole of Midgard when compared to the others and their language is one of the most widely spoken ones in the world, and very similar to our own.”

 

“Very impressive,” Loki replied, squeezing her arm. “But did that book tell you how to get from this part of London to somewhere a bit less crowded?”

 

Georgiana smiled. “I’m afraid not.”

 

Loki glanced around and made a quick decision. “I think we go that way.”

 

“You think?” Georgiana teased, and then found herself almost knocked off her feet as someone jostled past her, once again calling a hurried apology over their shoulder as they did so. Georgiana steadied herself as Loki caught hold of her, looking furious and Georgiana began to worry because she knew that look. “Loki, it’s alright, really,” she insisted, grasping his arms. “I’m fine. Please.”

 

Loki exhaled, calming down. “You’re right. Why waste magic on idiotic humans?”

 

“Loki!” Georgiana reprimanded.

 

“Sorry.” He relaxed and managed a smile. “But you know I don’t like it when people push you around or hurt you.”

 

“No, I know, I know.” Georgiana could remember a few incidents when Loki’s anger at her being shoved about or knocked down had boiled over so much that those responsible had been seriously hurt themselves, with his magic. She squeezed both his hands in hers. “But please, it was an accident. I mean look how crowded this place is; it must happen to people all the time.”

 

She had a point there, Loki had to admit, so he nodded and squeezed her hands back. “Alright. I’ll be good. Now let’s get out of this rabble.”

 

Georgiana smiled, slipping her fingers through his as they went. He often said that when she asked him not to get angry with someone on her behalf, like a child. She clung determinedly to his hand as they wove through the crowds of people, who weaved around one another like fish in a small pond. How they didn’t all bump into one another was beyond Georgiana, although she supposed they were all used to it by now, but it did feel like some mad dance with no rules or rhythm to it at all. Loki was true to his word, however, and didn’t lose his temper whenever someone accidently knocked into them and eventually they made it through the crowd and found themselves in a clearer area on one side of the river. Tall buildings to one side looked over the river whilst in front of them a grand cathedral-like building rose from the ground, the sign beside it reading Westminster Abbey.

 

“Do you think anyone lived there?” Georgiana asked, linking her arm through Loki’s again.

 

“Oh, no one lives there, it’s where all these Kings and stuff are buried,” an American tourist beside them said, matter-of-factly, as she snapped a photograph on her phone. “And it’s a lot to go in and see them.”

 

Loki grimaced. “You can _see_ the dead Kings?”

 

“Yeah, if you’re willing to pay for it. Where have you two been?” The girl rolled her eyes and moved on, waving and calling to someone across the grass. “Alex, hey, take my picture!”

 

“Sounds a little disrespectful,” Loki muttered, leading them away from the building. “Allowing ordinary folk to see the graves of former Kings.”

 

Georgiana shivered. “Do you remember that time Thor talked all of us into sneaking into the Royal Mausoleum?”

 

“How could I forget?” Loki shot her a grin. “I still have the marks from you clinging to me in terror.”

 

“I wasn’t that scared,” Georgiana protested.

 

“Yes, you were. You were terrified.”

 

“Well, so were you! You were shaking all over when I hugged you!”

 

“Princes of Asgard don’t get scared,” Loki insisted.

 

“So I imagined that scream then when Volstagg made that skeleton pop up in the coffin?” Georgiana returned.

 

Loki gave a hollow laugh. “I was just playing along so you didn’t feel left out.”

 

“I don’t believe that for a minute,” Georgiana insisted. “I know you, Loki. You might be good at lying to everyone else, but you can’t fool me-”

 

She was cut off in surprise as Loki suddenly sat down on the nearest bench and pulled her onto his lap, cutting off any further protest with a kiss. “You never give up, do you?” Loki murmured against her mouth.

 

“When it’s you, never,” Georgiana replied, sighing a little into his kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck. “But you should know that by now.”

 

“I do, but I just thought I’d ask,” Loki returned, mischievously, pecking playfully at her lips.

 

Georgiana giggled and then broke the kiss, momentarily, to look up at him. “Loki...do we actually have a plan? I mean, we need to find somewhere to stay. We can’t just wander around here for the rest of our lives.”

 

Loki smiled at her. “Fear not, my love. I happen to know that this city is filled with taverns they call “hotels” here; at least one of them will have a room to spare.”

 

Georgiana raised her eyebrows. “And how do you plan to get us into one?”

 

“The usual way,” Loki replied, pulling her closer to him. “With magic.”

 

Georgiana shook her head with a smile. “You know, if it were anyone other than you who said that, I would despair, I really would.”

 

“Just because we’re on Midgard now doesn’t mean we have to live like humans,” Loki replied, before he kissed her again.

 

The hotel they eventually found was called The Strand Palace; any place with a name like Palace was surely fitting for a Queen such as Georgiana, Loki felt, and finding a room to stay in was easily done with a little manipulative magic and mind control. They could have the room for as long as they liked, no questions asked. The suite they got was grand, in a Midgardian kind of way, painted white and divided into three rooms, like a Midgard flat: bedroom with an enormous double bed, red carpet and curtains, a sofa and desk, a vast wardrobe and dressing table, bathroom with vast bath and shower and all other things a bathroom needs, and a room that was a sort of living room and kitchen combined with a table and chairs and another sofa which looked perfect for curling up together on.

 

“This is wonderful,” Georgiana breathed, sinking onto the mattress. Then, patting the spot beside her, she smiled, mischievously, “I suppose we’ll be...sharing the bed?”

 

Loki hadn’t thought about that as he sat down beside her. “Georgiana, if it’s going to make you feel uncomfortable...we don’t have to...”

 

“Loki, don’t be daft, we’ve slept in the same bed before.”

 

“Yes, but we were children then. It’s not how things are-”

 

This time it was Loki who was cut off in mid-sentence as Georgiana grabbed hold of him with a force he didn’t even know she possessed and pinned him playfully to the mattress. “Loki,” she reminded him, sweetly, “I think we’re beyond worrying about whether or not it’s the “done thing,” don’t you? After all, we have just run away from Asgard to be together because our parents wouldn’t let us marry.”

 

Loki grinned up at her. “I suppose you’re right; we’ve already broken most of the rules as it is.”

 

“Exactly.” Georgiana let go of him, her smile softer now. “We’re free.”

 

Loki sat up and kissed her, pulling her into his lap and running his hands through her hair, gently. “I love you, Georgiana,” he whispered.

 

“I love you, Loki,” Georgiana murmured back, kissing him again. Then she broke away from him with a frown. “Wait; I don’t have anything to sleep in. Or anything for tomorrow. I should have thought about packing before we left- and what about this is so funny?” she added indignantly as Loki chuckled.

 

“Georgiana, I can...my magic,” Loki corrected himself, “can provide you with clothes...and anything else. I wouldn’t have you wanting for anything.”

 

Georgiana blushed. “Loki, you don’t have to-”

 

“I want to.” Loki cupped her face in his hands. “You’re more than just the woman I love, you’re my best friend too, the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Besides, I wouldn’t have you running around Midgard clothe-less,” he added, with a mischievous grin. “Why should I share your body with anyone else?”

 

Georgiana swatted at him and he laughed. “Well, then, Loki, if that is the case, then I would very much care for something to sleep in. Something Asgardian, thank you,” she added as an afterthought. No sooner were the words off her lips then a delicate white nightgown with lace at the elbow-length sleeves and around the collar and hem appeared beside her on the bed. Tactfully, Loki left her to get changed, on the pretence of going to see the state of affairs around the rest of the suite, just so that she wouldn’t get the wrong idea. Of course, he noted, there would be love-making, and it didn’t have to wait until they were married, but it did have to wait until she was ready for it. When he returned he found her dressed for bed and putting away the outfit he had created for her that day. He quickly magicked himself into his own sleep clothes and then joined her at the window, wrapping her in a hug from behind as they both gaze out into the night.

 

Georgiana sighed in contentment. “I just keep feeling like this is all some wonderful dream and I’m about to wake up any second.”

 

Loki hugged her tighter. “Not going to happen,” he murmured, kissing her hair. “We’re away from all that now, free. No one can ever part us again.”

 

Georgiana smiled and then, giving him an inviting look, led the way over to the bed. Loki waited for her to climb in first, seeing which side she chose, and then slid in the opposite side, facing her, using magic to switch off the lights and close the curtains on the vast city they had come to.

 

“Georgiana?” he murmured, presently.

 

“Yes, Loki?”

 

“Is it alright if I hold you?”

 

Georgiana smiled and slide closer to him. “It’s more than alright, Loki,” she whispered, snuggling against him. Loki wrapped his arms around her, tightly, and fell asleep to the sound of her breathing and to the soft scent of her hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The outfit Georgiana wears is based on one worn by Keira Knightly in Love Actually, if anyone's wondering.


	5. Rule Five: Men and Women Don't Share Beds Unless Married

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki dreams of Georgiana...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to do some of Loki and Georgiana's fluffy childhood moments together, plus Loki telling Thor he has a best friend! The Poem is La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats.

_Loki turned over in bed, willing sleep to come but in his heart he knew it was useless. He was too awake, too tingling with excitement to fall asleep, even though he knew that Odin and Frigga wanted them both up and ready first thing for some royal decree or other, he also knew that it would be impossible for him to get to sleep tonight. He was buzzing too much with the excitement of what had happened today._

_The door creaked open and he groaned, inwardly, knowing what it meant. It was true, he reflected, that you could choose your friends but you couldn’t choose your family, and sometimes, usually on such occasions as this one, he found himself wishing for a different brother. Still, he knew how this was going to work out; if he didn’t let Thor into his bed, his older brother would sit on him until he couldn’t breathe and he’d be forced to give in anyway, so it was best to just let him in without all the squashing. Even so, he pretended to be asleep as his brother padded lightly up to the bed and poked his arm gently._

_“Loki, are you awake?”_

_“Am now,” Loki lied, blinking at his brother’s silhouette in the darkness. He felt around for the edge of the blanket until he found it and yanked it back, indicating for Thor to clamber in beside him. “Bad dreams?”_

_“Shut up,” Thor retorted, half-heartedly, climbing under the blanket and giving him a nudge in the ribs. “Move over, will you?”_

_Loki sighed, loudly, but did as he was asked. “A “please” wouldn’t kill you, you know. It is_ my _bed, after all.”_

_“Ok, ok, please move over,” Thor grumbled, settling down beside him._

_Loki hesitated and then blurted out “I have a best friend.”_

_Thor was quiet a minute and Loki wondered if he had heard him. Before he could repeat himself, however, Thor replied, slowly and awkwardly, “That’s nice.”_

_He didn’t sound like he believed Loki. The younger Prince sat up, indignantly, the blanket rolling off him as he did so. “It’s true!”_

_Thor glanced at him. Even in the darkness, Loki could see the expression on his brother’s face, he could read it by the tone of his voice. “I’m not saying it isn’t. It just seemed a bit of a random thing to blurt out like that.” Loki was silent. Thor went on, encouragingly, “So? Did you meet him today? What’s he like?”_

_“It’s a “she,” actually,” Loki replied, lying back beneath the blanket again, rolling over to fac his brother. “I mean, she’s a “she.”_

_“Oh?” Thor chuckled. “Got yourself a girlfriend, have you, Loki?”_

_“Shut up, you oaf,” Loki retorted. “It’s not like that.”_

_“So you didn’t swoop in to save her from a host of bandits, like in one of your stories, then?” Thor teased._

_Loki flushed. “Well, actually...I did stop some stupid boys from bullying her. I sort of...leapt on one of them. Stop laughing!” he added, in a fierce whisper, throwing a none-too-soft punch at his brother’s arm._

_“Ow!” Thor stopped instantly and rubbed his arm. “Alright, touchy! What’s her name?”_

_“Georgiana.”_

_“Oh, Earl Spencer’s daughter?”_

_“That’s her.”_

_“Oh.” Now Thor sounded genuinely interested. “I heard her Father talking to Mother earlier, saying that she likes reading and learning, just like you.”_

_“Yes, she does,” Loki replied. “And she draws, designs, really. She’s fun.”_

_“Well, I’m happy for you.” Thor patted his brother’s shoulder fondly. “I mean, I worry, sometimes, about you, being on your own.”_

_Loki grinned and gave his brother a playful push. “Go to sleep, Thor.”_

_“Goodnight, Loki.” There was silence a moment and then Thor couldn’t resist teasing “Dream sweet dreams of Georgiana Spencer.”_

_That last remark earned him a growl from Loki and swat in the face from Loki’s pillow._

XXX

 

_Georgiana sighed as she pulled on her nightgown. She felt so angry with Thor for trying to scare her like that, but she was also angry at herself for allowing him to do so. She ought to have stood her ground no matter how scared she was and faced up to the “Pumpkin Zombie,” not lost her head and run screaming from the Square like that. What if she had got properly lost? After all, in spite of all her visits to Asgard, she still didn’t know the town as well as the others did, and what with it being Hallow Night, a night when a lot of older teenagers and adults got daft and giggly, and quite often scary, from all the drinking, her running off like that had been a very dangerous thing to do._

_Her only comfort was that Loki hadn’t made her feel like an idiot. He had simply done as any best friend would have done in that position, hugged her, comforted her and then confronted Thor for trying to scare her. She couldn’t help smiling slightly at that. He was a very protective best friend._

_She was trying to pull down her hair from the elaborate style Frigga had put it in for her when there came a knock at the door. Startled she quickly whipped a dressing robe around her, tying it tightly, and slipped her feet into her slippers before calling out “Hold on,” and then running to answer it. To her relief it was only Loki._

_“Sorry I’m not Thor coming to apologise,” he smiled._

_“Oh, it’s alright,” Georgiana replied, stepping back to let him and closing the door. “It’s my own fault, really, I shouldn’t have let him scare me like that.”_

_“No, Thor shouldn’t have done it,” Loki corrected her. “It was a stupid thing to do, especially on Hallow Night.”_

_“We can always get him back tomorrow,” Georgiana suggested, with a mischievous look._

_“Well, I’m game if you are,” Loki replied, grinning at her and she giggled._

_“Actually, while you’re here,” she added, sobering up. “Could you do me a favour, please?”_

_“Anything,” Loki replied._

_“Could you help me with my hair, please? I can’t figure out how your Mother’s pinned it and I can’t sleep with this many hairpins in.”_

_She promptly sat on the bed and Loki sat down beside her. She turned her head and Loki examined his Mother’s handiwork. “It looked nice, though,” he complimented._

_“Yes,” Georgiana agreed, as Loki felt along her hairstyle._

_“Mm, I can see it now,” he murmured, kneeling up behind her to help her unpin it all. They sat in silence until he had removed every last one. He was so gentle, Georgiana noted, not like most people when they dressed or in this case undressed her hair, he didn’t pull once. “Brush, please,” Loki murmured, holding out a hand._

_Without question, Georgiana leaned over and retrieved it from the bedside table and Loki ran it softly through her hair, once again dealing gently with any tangles or extra pins hiding in her tresses. It was so soothing that Georgiana closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that when she eventually got married that her husband might be able to do this for her, and be as gentle with her as Loki was now._

_“There,” Loki stated, causing her to open her eyes, and she turned to him with a grin, running a hand through her now silky smooth hair. “Finished.”_

_“You should take this up,” she teased. “That didn’t hurt a bit.”_

_“You’re welcome,” Loki replied, rolling off the bed. For some reason, though, Georgiana found that she didn’t want him to leave her tonight and she caught his sleeve as he stood up to go._

_“Loki...will you stay with me tonight?” she stammered. “I mean, I don’t want to have nightmares about the Pumpkin Zombie coming to get me or something.”_

_Loki was surprised but not surprised enough to refuse, especially with the way she was looking at him. “Of course I will, if you can put up with me snoring.”_

_Georgiana laughed, softly. “Loki, I’ve never heard you snore in my life, all those times we’ve camped out in the grounds together.”_

_“Thor says I snore,” Loki shrugged._

_“Well, that’s probably because he does,” Georgiana replied, turning back the covers and climbing into bed. Loki clambering in beside her as she blew out the candle on her side and he did the same on his. “Goodnight, Loki,” Georgiana murmured, cuddling down to sleep with her back to him._

_“Night, Georgiana,” Loki murmured back, closing his eyes._

_There was a pause and then Georgiana murmured “Thank you.”_

_“For what?” Loki mumbled, already beginning to drift._

_“For being you, Loki. You’re a good friend. No. You’re the best friend in the whole of the Nine Realms,” Georgiana decided, closing her own eyes._

_The next morning Loki woke up in love._

XXX

 

_“Are these two really necessary?” Loki muttered as he rode alongside his father._

_“Loki, it’s for your own protection,” Odin replied, sternly, “and also because if we allowed you and Georgiana to go away together without some form of chaperone, it would-”_

_“I know, I know, cause a scandal,” Loki sighed. “But it’s not like anything untoward’s going to happen; we’re best friends, not suitors.”_

_Odin gave him a sideways glance. “Well, it’ll put Georgiana’s parents’ minds at ease at any rate.”_

_Loki gave in and simply continued the ride in silence until they were met by the riding party from Althrop. Georgiana grinned, immediately, and reined in her horse, clambering swiftly down and running up to him. Loki jumped down without even stopping his horse and Odin sighed but didn’t scold._

_“Happy Birthday, Loki,” Georgiana whispered, hugging him and then added with a sigh “Of course Mama insisted on seeing me off as if I’m still a child.”_

_“Same with my Father,” Loki muttered back, before glancing over her shoulder and acknowledging Georgiana’s Mother. “Lady Spencer.”_

_“Hello, Loki,” Margaret Spencer replied, smiling. “Happy Birthday.”_

_“Thank you,” Loki replied. It had taken some persuading but eventually he had managed to wear his parents down and convince them that for his fifteenth birthday, all he wanted was a quiet lunch with Georgiana, and then the idea of the picnic had occurred to him, for the pair of them to have a picnic in one of their favourite countryside spots like back when they were children, and when they had been chaperoned by their parents, and eventually Odin and Frigga had agreed to it, and convinced Georgiana’s parents to agree too. But, of course, they wouldn’t be completely alone, they would be watched by two Eirhenjar Guards, as per Odin and Margaret’s requests. It was annoying but agreeing to it had been the only way in the end._

_“Right, you know the rules,” Odin said to Loki, sternly. “Don’t get back too late, and make sure-”_

_“My best friend gets home safely, I know,” Loki finished, helping Georgiana back onto her horse. He turned to smile politely at Margaret. “Don’t worry, Lady Spencer, I’ll look after her.”_

_Georgiana gave an indignant laugh. “Excuse me, Your Highness, but who was it who fished you out of the river that time when we were eight?”_

_“Point taken,” Loki grinned, mounting his own horse._

_“Have fun,” Margaret called as Georgiana set her horse to a gallop and Loki, out of fear of her getting into trouble already, quickly raced after her. The guards, silent and steady, followed and soon they came upon the place they knew so well. With some gentle persuasion, Loki was able to get the guards to keep their distance, so that they could still keep an eye on the young friends but not intrude on their private conversations._

_“Oh, Loki, this is going to be brilliant,” Georgiana sighed, settling herself upon the blanket the guards had spread on the ground before they had gone over to stand guard by the tree where they had tied up the horses._

_“I hope so,” Loki agreed. “I’ve no idea what we’ve got to eat, though. I wasn’t allowed a say in that.”_

_To their surprise, however, the Palace cooks had packed a picnic of their favourite treats, and they were all received with delight and pleasure._

_“Oh, I almost forgot,” Georgiana exclaimed, suddenly, reaching into her satchel. “Your present.”_

_“Georgiana, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Loki protested as she pressed the parcel into his hands._

_“Yes I did, and you say that every year,” Georgiana smiled. “Open it; I just know you’re going to love it.”_

_Loki did as she asked and stared in surprise. It was a book of poetry, clearly an old book, by his favourite Midgard poet, a first edition too, according to the inside cover. “Georgiana,” he breathed in delight, opening the book, flicking through the poems. “It’s a first edition. Wherever did you find it?”_

_“In Boothes,” Georgiana replied, referring to the small second-hand bookshop they had discovered themselves in a dark alley in Asgard one day when they had been caught in the rain. It was a tiny place, just filled with bookshelves and they had spent hours and hours in there that first day, just looking through all the different books there. They kept on going back there, and usually one of them would find something or other of interest to them to take home. “It was buried right at the back of one of the shelves. When I saw it, I just knew you’d love it.”_

_Loki closed the book and beamed at her. “I do. Thank you so much.”_

_“You’re welcome,” Georgiana smiled as he hugged her, tightly._

_As predicted, it was the best birthday ever._

XXX

 

Loki was roused by a soft sensation pressing against his cheek. He opened his eyes, blinked and everything swam into focus. Georgiana smiled up at him, still snuggled against him as she was.

 

“Good morning,” Loki smiled, sleepily.

 

“Good morning,” Georgiana smiled back, pressing her lips to his this time. “You looked very happy in your sleep just now.”

 

Loki grinned. “I was dreaming about you.”

 

“Aw!” Georgiana was touched. “Well, in that case, it must have been a shame that I woke you up before you’d finished dreaming.”

 

“Who said I hadn’t?” Loki teased, pulling her closer to him. “Anyway, the reality’s much more pleasant.”

 

“Loki, you’ll make my heart melt saying such things,” Georgiana laughed, wriggling free and then kissing him. “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if I can’t figure out that Midgardian contraption they call a “shower.”

 

Loki pulled himself out of bed and stretched...and then blinked, realising that he must have unconsciously used magic in his sleep, for there, lying on the bedside table, was that same book of poetry Georgiana had given him for his fifteenth birthday. He picked it up and flicked through the pages, stopping at the poem that contained the lines he felt summed Georgiana up completely.

 

“I met a lady in the meads, Full beautiful—a faery’s child, Her hair was long, her foot was light, And her eyes were wild...”


	6. Rule Six: Making Love Is Strictly For Married Couples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bathroom teasing leads to something else entirely...

“Ah!”

 

Loki shot his head up in surprised, disturbed by her cry, but a second later, Georgiana appeared in the doorway. “I think I’ve figured it out. It’s a bit like some kind of waterfall, but hot. Come on.”

 

Bemused, Loki got to his feet and followed her into the bathroom, book still in hand. Georgiana leaned over the bathtub and showed him. “It seems like this lever turns the water on and this one adjusts the temperature,” she explained, looking pleased at having figured it out. She suddenly reminded Loki of her childish self and he suddenly felt a pang at them having grown up too quickly. He ought to have told her he loved her whilst they were still young. If he had done, things might have turned out quite differently for them. Still, as she beamed up at him, he returned her smile and commented “Midgardian technology really is quite sophisticated the more I think about it.”

 

Georgiana laughed and then, to his surprise, began to tug off her nightgown. Loki quickly cast his gaze to the floor, knowing that he really ought to leave the room at this point, but somehow he felt like he was suddenly frozen to the floor. Georgiana noticed nothing, however, and quickly climbed into the bathtub, relieving him of having to look away once her body was concealed behind the thick curtain.

 

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked, expecting her to reply in the affirmative.

 

“No, you don’t have to,” Georgiana replied, casually, reaching for the shampoo bottle the hotel very thoughtfully provided. “It’s nice to talk to someone for a change.”

 

Loki was surprise but nevertheless he sat down on the toilet seat and automatically opened his book again. “Is that the poetry book I bought you, by the way?” Georgiana asked, closing her eyes to keep the shampoo from getting in them. “For your fifteenth?”

 

“When have you ever known me to read another?” Loki quipped.

 

She laughed. “I don’t know why you like his darker poems so much, though.” She shuddered. “They give me the creeps, the way he talks about death as though it’s a fascinating subject.”

 

“Perhaps you just don’t have the soul of a poet, Georgiana, so it’s inevitable you wouldn’t understand the way his mind works,” Loki teased.

 

Georgiana hesitated and then said “Loki?”

 

Loki closed the book. “What?”

 

Her response was to flick water in his face. Loki closed his eyes and exhaled with strained patience as she giggled and then got quietly to his feet, went over to the sink and collected a handful of cold water...which he promptly flung at her.

 

Georgiana squealed. “Loki! That’s freezing, you beast!”

 

“You started it,” Loki pointed out, grinning.

 

“Right, that’s it!” Georgiana exclaimed, seizing a towel and promptly stopping the flow of water as she threw it around herself. “You’re dead, Loki Odinson!”

 

Not bothering to correct her, Loki laughed and ducked out of her reach as she clambered out of the bath. He ran into the bedroom and Georgiana pursued...only to find the room empty. She frowned, holding the towel tight around her. “Loki?”

 

Then she let out a startled squeak as he grabbed her from behind and began to batter playfully at him. “Caught you,” Loki teased, spinning her about in his arms.

 

“That wasn’t fair!” Georgiana laughed, pushing against his chest.

 

“I’m offended,” Loki replied, feigning hurt. “I thought you knew me better than to play fair.”

 

“You are impossible,” Georgiana told him, giggling, and then without warning, her towel slipped and Loki promptly closed his eyes as it fell to the floor, leaving her standing before him in nothing but her own skin. “Oops,” Georgiana added, with a laugh, and then she noticed that he was forcing himself not to look. “Loki?”

 

“I’m pretty sure I’m not meant to see you like this just yet,” Loki replied.

 

Georgiana frowned. “You’ve seen me naked before.”

 

“That was when we were children,” Loki pointed out. And it had only been for one brief moment, once when they had gone bathing with Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three and the wind had suddenly lifted her towel whilst she was changing, causing her and Sif to squeal with shock and the boys to gawp, briefly, before turning away from them.

 

Now, however, Georgiana leaned closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Loki, look at me,” she whispered. “Please?”

 

Slowly, Loki opened his eyes and drank in her naked form. He had never seen another woman like this before, but surely none could compare to her? She was petite and slight, but it was in no way unappealing, her skin creamy smooth, soft and pale, like swansdown, curved in all the right places like a marble statue. He brought his eyes back up to hers. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed.

 

Georgiana smiled. “Thank you, Loki,” she murmured, reaching up and Loki met her lips with his own, pulling her close against him. He couldn’t resist running his hands down her back, marvelling at the smoothness of her skin as he did so and she made a soft moan against his mouth as he did that. He didn’t go any further than that, however, not wanting her to feel rushed into anything, and besides, at this point, this was enough for him. But then again...one day...

 

Then, to his surprise, Georgiana moved her hands lower down his body and began to tug at the hem of his tunic. “What are you doing?” Loki murmured, breaking the kiss for a second, even though he already knew what the answer would be.

 

“Isn’t it fair that I get to see all of you now that you’ve seen all of me?” Georgiana asked, her eyes fluttering open. “Or,” she added, a look of mischief replacing the innocence in her eyes, “are you afraid to show me because you’ve got something to hide?”

 

“Afraid?” Loki repeated, his own expression mischievous. “When have you ever known me to be afraid of anything, Georgiana?” So saying, he picked her up, much to her surprise and carried her over to the bed. Georgiana reached up to kiss him again as he lay her gently on the bed, making it last for as long as possible, the taste of him still lingering on her lips as he finally pulled away from her.

 

Loki was surprisingly quick in removing his clothing; suddenly the desire to also be naked and beside her was so great that nothing else mattered, and Georgiana sat up, biting back a gasp at the slender, toned muscles in his body, her eyes travelling lower and never wavering, at least not until his lips were against hers again as he lay down beside her. Loki pulled her close, pressing every inch of her body against his and revelling in the warm, tenderness of her. He had never noticed before how small she felt compared to him, like some fragile creature he needed to protect from all the dangers of the Nine Realms.

 

He would do that, he vowed; protect her from everything.

 

She stiffened, suddenly, in his arms, and a second later, Loki realised why. He quickly pulled away from her and sighed, closing his eyes. “Sorry.”

 

Georgiana, however, pressed closer to him, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “Georgiana,” Loki murmured, warningly. “You are in serious danger of...”

 

The words were lost as she reached up to kiss him again and as she did so, she took his hand in hers, moving it from her waist down her back until he was unconsciously stroking her in between her thighs. She made a small sigh of pleasure. “Loki...please...who’d know?”

 

She had a point, Loki had to admit. Moving his hand from her thighs, he cupped her face and looked straight into her deep, brown eyes. “Are you absolutely sure that this is what you want, Georgiana?” he asked. “I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything.”

 

She nodded. “I know you’d never push me into anything, Loki, but I’m more than ready. I want you.”

 

Loki smiled. “I want you too.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Then you can have me, Loki. Right now.”

 

Loki kissed her again, rolling her underneath him and covering her in kisses.

 

XXX

 

_“I hate this,” Georgiana sighed._

_John shot her a look of disdain. “Stop being so negative, Georgiana. There are women starving on the streets who would kill to be in your position right now.”_

_“Yes, women who don’t realise how lucky they actually are,” Georgiana muttered, folding her arms and glaring over at the crowd of men ready for the race. She had no objection to men wanting to enter into a horserace, none whatsoever, after all it made for very exciting sport, and this was to open the Summer Solstice celebrations, of which her Father was the Leader this year. But she hated the fact that she had been roped into this to act as some prize calf to be won, made to stand at the front and wave the flag to signal the race to begin, and then to give a kiss to the winner. She just knew without looking that all who were entering were leering over her in her innocently white summer gown, with her hair tied loose, truly playing the part of the blushing virgin. She also had a horrible feeling that whoever won would expect more than just a kiss from her later on and she shuddered, wondering if there was any way she might be able to feign a sudden illness or faint and be able to get out of her predicament that way._

_“Georgiana,” her Father said in a steady, testy tone. It was the one he used right before he started to lose his temper, Georgiana knew, so she looked at her feet and said nothing. He walked away from her and she overheard him mutter to someone “What it is to have an obstinate daughter! Sometimes I actually wonder if she’s even mine!”_

_Georgiana raised her head, feeling tears prickle at the corners of her eyelids at that, because that had hurt somewhat, but she willed herself not to cry. This was, after all, meant to be a happy day for all concerned. At the age of eighteen, she ought to show more restrain and dignity when in public, she knew, and she scolded herself inwardly for almost having let her guard down._

_Turning her head towards the gates, she suddenly felt her spirits lift at the sight she had been waiting for all day; the sight of the Royal Family riding up the path towards the house. Forgetting to be ladylike for a second, she hurried up to meet them. Loki grinned at her as he dismounted. “Sorry we’re late.”_

_“There was an accident on the road,” Odin explained, his single blue eye twinkling kindly at her as he followed his youngest son’s lead._

_“Oh, that’s alright, the race hasn’t even started yet,” Georgiana smiled, and then she grabbed Loki’s arm and shot him a desperate “Help me,” look. “Come on, I’ll show you what’s what.”_

_“What’s the matter?” Loki muttered in a low voice as she led him away, maintaining the illusion of excitement in front of his family, but it was a facade he could see through instantly. After all, he knew her so well._

_“It’s this race,” she sighed. “This year, Father’s decided that_ I _have to be the one to kiss the winner. And I just know that they’ll try to take advantage of me later or something. Loki, can you do anything?”_

_Loki frowned. “Such as?”_

_“I don’t know. Can’t you use your magic to make me seem ill or something?” Georgiana asked, glancing over at her Father. The race would begin soon, so it needed to be now. “Loki, I can’t do this. I really can’t. The thought of it makes me feel sick.”_

_“And that’s not enough?” Loki quipped._

_“Loki!” Georgiana sighed._

_“Georgiana, you’ve got no way of knowing who’s going to win,” Loki pointed out. “It might not be as bad as you’re making out.”_

_Before Georgiana could argue, John had come up to them. “Ah, Loki,” he smiled. “Are you and Thor racing?”_

_“If that’s alright,” Loki replied, politely._

_“Of course,” John replied. “It’s this way.”_

_Loki simply turned and shot Georgiana a meaningful look as she gawped at the back of his head. She had the sudden urge to throw something at him but there was nothing to hand, so instead she dutifully took her place as everyone who wanted to race was led to the stalls where the horses that had been trained specifically for the day were waiting. She cast a glance at the racing ground that had been set up in their back garden the night before. It wouldn’t be a very long race, just one lap and the first back to the start was the winner, but at any rate, she couldn’t wait for it to be over._

_John suddenly looked her way and gave her a brisk nod. She hesitated and he glared at her, nodding again. She took a deep breath, the flag in her hand and stepped forwards._

_“Gentlemen,” she called, as she had been taught, and she raised the flag, “when I drop this flag, you will race your horses from this mark and once around the track. The first rider back, of course, will be the winner, and shall win a fair prize. Ready?” There were general murmurs from the racers. She saw Thor and Loki exchange grins and she took a deep breath. “Go!”_

_The flag went down and the men spurred their horses into action. Taking her seat, Georgiana watched, trying to pick her friend out amid the blurs of colour that shot past her. A sudden flash of green caught her eyes and she suddenly noticed that Loki’s horse was picking up speed. As they turned the corner of the garden, his horse suddenly took the lead. She felt a sudden rush of hope. If Loki, or Thor, or one of her friends could win this race, then that would be alright, she wouldn’t mind kissing one of them because she knew that wouldn’t expect anything else of her._

_“Come on, Loki,” she prayed, automatically, as a few of the other horses picked up their paces. “No, no...yes...yes, come on, that’s it...”_

_The crowds began to go wild as the riders neared the finish. Georgiana held her breath and then as Loki crossed the finish line first, she had to restrain herself from leaping out of her seat. Thor was close behind him and they were both laughing, as if they had been playing some childish game rather a serious race. Legs trembling slightly, she managed to get to her feet and applaud with the others._

_Loki met her gaze and smiled at her._

_“Thank you,” she mouthed._

_John took a stand and proudly declared the race well and truly won. Loki simply smiled and brushed off all forms of congratulations. “I could have had you there a few times, though, Brother,” Thor teased, punching him lightly on the arm._

_“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Loki teased back._

_“Well, would you care for a rematch?” Thor laughed._

_“No, thank you; I’ve already proved I can beat you,” Loki replied, smugly. “Once is enough.”_

_Georgiana stepped up as they both dismounted. “Congratulations, Loki,” she smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. He deserved it, she felt, for having saved her from kissing anyone lecherous. “If anyone had to win, I’m glad that it was one of you two,” she added, sending him a grateful look with her eyes._

_Loki shrugged, modestly. “Please, I was just in it for the race.”_

_Georgiana, however, could tell by the look in his eyes that he had done it for her._

XXX

Georgiana threw back her head, her whole body trembling with desire and passion as she felt herself come undone. “Oh, Gods, Loki!” she gasped, clinging to him tightly, feeling that if she didn’t, she might break.

 

“Georgiana, you feel so wonderful,” Loki whispered.

 

She felt her breath stuttering slightly, catching in her throat but she managed to choke out an “I love you,” before she felt the orgasm explode from her. Never before had she pictured it to be this beautiful; even all the books she had read could never do it any justice. Especially being with Loki...it was indescribable.

 

“I love you too, Georgiana,” Loki gasped, feeling his own undoing follow hers. He just managed to keep himself from collapsing on top of her and rolled to one side instead, withdrawing from her and pulling her against him. Georgiana felt that she couldn’t move for a second, like every muscle had gone, so she just snuggled against him as best as she could without moving too much. Loki wrapped his arms tightly about her and kissed the top of her head. “You are wonderful,” he murmured against her hair.

 

Georgiana smiled. “So are you, Loki.” They lay in silence, catching their breath, and then she asked, slowly “Loki?”

 

“Yes, Georgiana?”

 

“Can we do that again sometime?”

 

Loki laughed. “Yes, Georgiana, we can.”

 

She hesitated, finally finding strength in her arms to hug him. “Do you think...one day..?”

 

When she trailed off, Loki glanced at her. “What?”

 

“Would you make love to me in your Jotun form?” Georgiana asked.

 

Loki was quiet for a moment. “No,” he said, finally.

 

She frowned up at him. “Why not?”

 

“Because I’ve no idea how savage or vicious that form is,” Loki replied, firmly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

“But...you wouldn’t,” Georgiana insisted. “You’d never do that...”

 

“Georgiana, I don’t know how easy it is to control myself in that form yet,” Loki replied, cupping her face. “I can’t take that risk, I’m sorry.”

 

Georgiana felt somewhat disappointed, but she nodded. “I understand.”

 

“Anyway,” Loki added, pulling her closer and trying to lighten the situation, “if I did that, you’d be cold.”

 

“Mm,” Georgiana agreed, pressing into him. “I still can’t believe you did that to me earlier.”

 

Loki laughed. “My apologies, little one. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

 

Georgiana smiled and looked up at him. “I think you already have,” she murmured, kissing him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I got the idea for the race from a scene in the YT crossover video Young Love Murder by my good friend LoveandHeartbreak.)


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